From RSG

Friday, May 30, 2008

'their fathers' source' in Jer. 50:7?

Van Hecke further suggests that the parallel expression ומקוה אבותיהם [in Jer. 50:7] should not be rendered ‘‘their fathers’ hope’’ but ‘‘their fathers’ source’’. This interpretation is supported by among other things a reference to Jer 17:13, where Yahweh is spoken of as מקוה ישראל moreover in a verse which ends with the accusation of abandoning ‘‘the Lord, the spring of living water’’. Yahweh can thus form part of a narrative about sheep and shepherds without being depicted as a shepherd or a lion, but rather as the pasture where the sheep eat.